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Title: Something to Talk About
Author: Meryl Wilsner
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Content Warnings: sexual harassment
Alright, so not going to lie, it took me a little longer than I would have liked to get into this book. The voice wasn’t what I was expecting (more on that later) and it threw me for a bit, but it in the end, this was a mostly enjoyable read.
Jo is a badass writer, director, and producer who has been a leading voice in the TV industry for years. She’s ready to make the jump to film, landing a coveted spot writing the latest in a major action series. Emma is Jo’s assistant, but she has directing aspirations of her own. After dropping out of film school, she takes a job as a props assistant, but is promoted to the position of Jo’s assistant when it becomes clear how competent and hard-working she is. Jo and Emma have a friendly and professional relationship, but that changes when Jo takes Emma to the SAG awards and they are photographed together on the red carpet. What seems like a friendly moment is turned into relationship speculation, leading Emma to come under fire for sleeping her way to the top. It quickly becomes clear that someone on the set of their show is leaking info to the press, and it doesn’t help that Jo and Emma are slowly starting to realize they have legitimate feelings for each other. When Emma is sexually harassed by a famous director, Jo goes to bat for her and the two are finally able to admit their attraction to one another. But there is still a serious power imbalance in their relationship, plus the spotlight and questions from the press to overcome. But this is a romance, so they do!
Okay. So the main reason it took me a while to get hooked into this book is because it lacks what I identify as voice. Which doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just not what I expect from a contemporary romance these days, especially one coming from this publisher who produces some of the voiciest rom coms out there. The writing is sparse, almost Hemingway-esque, and while it’s definitely not my favorite style, once I got used to it, I found it more enjoyable. I was also a little put off in the beginning because after the whole picture debacle, Jo refuses to make any sort of comment about the relationship (or lack thereof) between her and Emma, which doesn’t have much effect on her, but causes Emma some serious harm with all of the sleeping her way to the top talk. What I did enjoy about the book was the way the relationship steadily built between the two. This book is the definition of slow burn, which is typically not my jam, but I think it worked in this instance. I also loved all the Hollywood stuff because you know I’m an LA girl at heart, so I felt at home in this world.
Overall Rating: 4 stars